Scythe.



H. w. HUTCHINS.

SCYTHE.

FILED MAR APPLlCA-TlO 19H. 1 1,174,015., Patented Feb. 29,1916.

earns PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY W. HUTC'I-IINS, 0F BELLOWS FALLS, VERMONT, .ASSIGNQR TO ELISABETH M.

, BALL, 0F BELLOWS FALLS, VERMONT.

SCYTHE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY W. Huron- INS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bellows Falls, in the county of WVindham and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Scythes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide novel and highly eiiicient, convenient and durable means for firmly securing the nib to the snathe of a scythe. It is well understood that many attempts have been made to securely fasten the nib to the snathe of a scythe and that notwithstanding the same there has constantly existed a demand for more effectual means for firmly connecting these parts. The nib and snathe of a scythe are subjected to special strains incident to the action of the implement when in use and difficulty has been found in securely connecting the nib and snathe by convenient means adequate to prevent the swiveling of the snathe on the end of the nib and at the same time avoid weakening the handle or produc ing other conditions detrimental to the implement as a whole. i

In accordance with my invention I provide a durable and comparatively inexpensive construction by which the secure-connection of the nib to the snathe is attained without weakening the nib or otherwise impairing the character of the implement.

In carrying out my invention I provide an integral or one-piece nib containing a longitudinal bore or hole extending partly through it from its snathe-end and embedded in the nib adjacent to the inner end of said bore or hole a transverse nut whose threaded hole is in the plane of said bore or hole to i receive the threaded end of a bolt whose outer end is formed with a loop to encompass the snathe and has converging inner side portions entering the outer end of said bore or hole, which hole or bore is at said end, by preference, of flared or counter-sunk formation. Upon the snathe-end of the nib, which is preferably of Wood, I provide an initially loose metal ferrule containing in its top an elongated opening to receive the lower converging sides of the aforesaid loop and said top having in its outer surface, at right angles to said opening, concave seats for the snathe. By reason of the ferrule being initially loose on the nib I am enabled to securely screw the nib on the bolt and against the ferrule and in doing so draw the snathe into the seats formed therefor on the outer face of said ferrule.

The invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanylng drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a nib and snathe fastening devices embodying my invention, the snathe being in section on the dotted line 11 of Fig 3; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same on the dotted line 2-2 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is thesame taken on the dotted line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a top view of the ferrule detached; Fig. 5 is an edge view of the same; Fig. 6 is a face view of the nut detached which I embed in the nib to take the threaded end of the looped-bolt which engages the snathe; Fig. 7 is an edge view of the same; and Fig. 8 is a central section of the same on the dotted line 88 of Fig. 6.

In the drawings, 10 designates the nib, 11,

the nut embedded transversely therein, 12 the bore or longitudinal hole formed in said nib, 13 the ferrule on the snathe-end of the nib,14a portion of the snathe, and 15 the bolthaving a loop 16 on its outer end transversely encompassing the snathe and being threaded on its inner end to engage the threaded hole 17 in the nut 11.

The nib 10 is preferably of Wood, and the bore or hole 12 therein extends part-way through it from its snathe-end, leaving the other end of said nib solid and therefore of unimpaired strength. The entrance end of thellsmre or hole 12 is preferably conical, as at Within the nib 10 and approximately adjacent tothe inner end of the bore or hole 12, is embedded the transverse nut 11, which contains the threaded hole 17 and is in the form of a plate tightly driven into a recess cut in the nib from one side thereof and crossing the bore or hole 12 but preferably not extending entirely through said nib. When the nut 11 is in position in the nib its threaded hole 17 will bein line with the bore 12, as illustrated.

The ferrule 13 constitutes an initially loose cap for the snathe-end of the nib and is formed in its outer face with an elongated opening 19 and concave snathe-seats 20, the

latter being on the outer surface of the fera sectional view of i rule at right angles to said opening and crossing the ferrule.

The bolt 15 has on its outer end the loop 16 to encompass the snathe and said loop at its inner end has converging sides 21 which extend through the opening 19 in the ferrule 13 and into the conical outer end 18 of the bore 12, with the result that the snathe 11 is enabled to engage the seats 20 and may be securely bound therein by the loop 16. The body of the bolt 15 extends within the bore 12 and engages the nut 11, and obviously when the nib is rotated in one direction it will by the cooperative action of he threads of the nut and bolt cause the bolt to move inwardly along the bore 12 and effect the secure binding of the ferrule 13 against the end of the nib and the snathe against the seats 20 of the ferrule, and when the nib is rotated in the opposite direction it will unscrew from the bolt 15 and release the snathe from the binding action against the same of the loop 16 and ferrule 13. The fact that the ferrule 18 is initially loose with relation to the nib allows the nib to be rotatedindependently of the ferrule during the final rotation of the nib to draw the snathe against the seats 20 and also during the first portion of the rotation of the nib to release the snathe from said seats. After the snathe has entered the seats 20 it will prevent the rotation of the ferrule with the nib, since the snathe bolt and ferrule are then firmly locked together. I regard the initially loose ferrule 13 having the seats 20 as an important feature of the construction, since by their presence the snathe may be very firmly secured and held against swiveling action on the end of the nib. The diverging sides 21 of the inner end of the loop 16 are also important in that they lie within the ends of the opening 19 beyond the seats 20 and enable the snathe to directly and firmly engage said seats.

The construction as a whole has been designed to enable the very firm and secure connection of the snathe and nib by durable means capable of convenient operation and comparatively inexpensive of manufacture.

hat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

A nib for scythes and the like containing a bore extending partly through the same, and having a recess extending transversely through one wall formed by the bore and a counter-sunk portion in the opposite wall formed by said bore, a transverse nut embedded in said recess and having a bearing in said counter-sunk portion and rigidly held therein, an initially loose ferrule on the snathe-end of said nib having an opening and a concave snathe seat upon its outer surface at right angles to the opening, and a bolt entering said bore and engaging said nut, said bolt having on its outer end an in- 3 tegral loop whose inner side portions converge and enter said opening in the ferrule beyond said seat.

Signed at Bellows Falls, in the county of Windham and State of Vermont, this 17th day of March, A. D. 1911.

HENRY WV. HUTCHINS.

Witnesses:

HAROLD H. CADY, FRANK A. RHoADns.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

